Nominees for 2012 Absolutely Gospel Music Awards Announced

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – (January 16, 2012) – The administrators and staff of AbsolutelyGospel.com (formerly SoGospelNews.com) are proud to announce the nominees for the 2012 Absolutely Gospel (SGN) Music Awards.  As in year’s past, the nominees were chosen by the staff of AbsolutelyGospel.com and select media representatives.  Starting on February 1, 2012, the fans will get a chance to vote for their favorites in certain categories.

“Despite the major changes in our editorial staff this year, the site has seen very impressive growth this year, and we know part of that is because of our talented writing staff,” mentioned Deon Unthank, Presidnet/CEO of AbsolutelyGospel.com. “Our staff did such a great job with nominations this year, and we are so proud of the work that they did.”
 
Chris D. Unthank, Editor-In-Chief of AbsolutelyGospel.com said, “This year’s awards represent impressive record breaking and a lot of ‘first-times’ for our awards program, and we couldn’t be more thrilled! We applaud our staff and those other media representatives who voted for thinking outside of the box this year and really embracing what our awards program is all about.”
 
The awards program sees two records broken this year. The Isaacs broke the record for the most nominations by an artist in a single year – this year earning 12 nominations. In addition, producer/songwriter/and Ernie Haase & Signature Sound pianist Wayne Haun earned a staggering 15 nominations – also breaking a record for the most nominations in a single year by an individual.
 
In addition, for the first time in the 10 years of the Absolutely Gospel Music Awards – a song that wasn’t released to radio (also known as an album cut) earned a nomination for Song of the Year – the Booth Brothers’ critically acclaimed song “What About Now.” In addition, last year’s Songwriter of the Year (Professional) winner Kenna West earned a nomination for the 2012 Pacesetter Award – the first time a professional songwriter has earned a nomination in that specific category.
 
Social networking paid off in a big way for artists in the Fan Favorite Artist of the Year category – the only category chosen strictly by the fans and readers of AbsolutelyGospel.com. Surprise nominations from acts like Sharron Kay King, The Ladd Family, and Mark209 saw a huge surge of votes due to their support from fans on social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter.
 
“It’s just amazing to us that after 10 years we’re still going strong and producing an awards program that seems to top itself every year,” mentioned Chris Unthank. “We are so excited about celebrating our 10th Anniversary this year. We can’t wait to announce what all we have in store!”
 
As far as nominations go, the aforementioned bluegrass/Southern Gospel hybrid group The Isaacs landed a record-setting 12 nominations this year, more than any other artist. The group earned nods for Song of the Year (for “Why Can’t We”), Album of the Year and Country Album of the Year (for Why Can’t We), Mixed Group of the Year, Country Song of the Year (for “Mama’s Teaching Angels How to Sing”), Best Live Performer, and the premier award of the Absolutely Gospel Music Awards, 2012 Pacesetter. In addition, sisters Becky Isaacs Bowman and Sonya Isaacs Yeary both earned nominations in the Female Vocalist of the Year category and shared a nomination for Songwriter of the Year (Artist). Brother Ben Isaacs landed nominations for Producer of the Year (Artist) and Musician of the Year as well.
 
The Booth Brothers followed behind The Isaacs with an impressive 10 nominations – including a 2012 Pacesetter mention.
 
Following behind those artists were The Perrys with nine nods and Karen Peck & New River with eight nods.  Greater Vision and the Gaither Vocal Band both landed six nominations.  Two artists received five nominations – Triumphant Quartet and the Collingsworth Family.
 
Beyond the Ashes earned four nominations, while several artists received triple mentions, including the Bowling Family, Wilburn & Wilburn, the Martins, Gold City, and Jason Crabb. Brian Free & Assurance, Eighth Day, Mark209, Red Roots, Ernie Haase & Signature Sound, Sisters, the Freemans, Jeff & Sheri Easter, Gordon Mote, Tribute Quartet, the Dove Brothers, and Channing Eleton were each nominated for two awards.
 
As stated previously, songwriter, producer and Signature Sound’s pianist Wayne Haun broke the record for the most individual nominations earned in a single year. In addition to landing in the Producer of the Year (Artist) category, Wayne earned the other 14 of his nominations for his songwriting and production work this year. – including four separate nominations in the Album of the Year category (for producing The Perrys’ Blue Skies, Collingsworth Family’s Part of the Family, Karen Peck & New River’s Reach Out, and Beyond the Ashes’ Treasures Unseen).
 
The Booth Brothers’ Jim Brady and The Isaacs’ Ben Isaacs both landed six individual nominations. Both men were nominated for Producer of the Year (Artist) this year. 
 
Songwriter Joel Lindsey received five nominations this year. Rodney Griffin, Bill Gaither, Kenna West, Sue C. Smith, David Moffitt, Becky Isaacs Bowman, Sonya Isaacs Yeary, Lari Goss, Michael English, and
Joseph Habedank all landed three individual nominations for their work in 2011.

The Pacesetter Award is awarded to any artist, individual, or organization that has shown great strides in the industry and has raised the bar for others. This year’s nominees for the 2012 Pacesetter are previously mentioned artists the Booth Brothers and The Isaacs, forward-thinking record label Crossroads Music Group, internet and television program Gospel Music Today with Ken & Jean Grady, and hit-songwriter Kenna West.
 
More information on the 2012 Absolutely Gospel Music Awards Celebration will be forthcoming, including hosts, performers, and sponsors, etc.  The date for this year’s Absolutely Gospel Music Awards Celebration is Tuesday, April 10, 2012.  The event will again take place at the River of Life Church in Smyrna, Tennessee and is free to the public. The event is scheduled to be streamed live on the internet this year.
 
The nominees for the 2012 Absolutely Gospel Music Awards are listed below:
 
SONG OF THE YEAR:
“Celebrate Me Home” – The Perrys (W.Haun, J.Lindsey)
“God So Loves Me” – Greater Vision (R.Griffin)
“Greatly Blessed, Highly Favored” – Gaither Vocal Band (B.Gaither, L.Gatlin)
“How Blessed” – Bowling Family (K.Rowland)
“I Believe” – Brian Free & Assurance (L.Black, K.West)
“May I Never Get Over the Cross” – Eighth Day (M.L.Allen, R.Arthur)
“On the Banks of the Promised Land” – Karen Peck & New River (J.Dyba, D.Moffitt, S.C.Smith)
“Saved By Grace” – Triumphant Quartet (C.McGruder)
“What About Now” – Booth Brothers (J.Brady, B.Weeks, T.Wood)
“Why Can’t We” – The Isaacs (B.I.Bowman, J.Yeary, S.I.Yeary)
ALBUM OF THE YEAR: 

Blue Skies – The Perrys (W.Haun)
Family Ties – Wilburn & Wilburn (B.Isaacs)
Let It Be Known – Booth Brothers (L.Goss)
New Day – The Martins (J.DeMarcus)
Part of the Family – Collingsworth Family (W.Haun)
Reach Out – Karen Peck & New River (W.Haun)
Somebody’s Coming – Gold City (M.English, D.Riley)
Treasures Unseen – Beyond the Ashes (W.Haun)
We Will Stand Our Ground – Kingdom Heirs (J.Collins, A.Rice)
Why Can’t We – The Isaacs (B.Isaacs)
PACESETTER: 

Booth Brothers
Crossroads Music Group
Gospel Music Today (with Ken & Jean Grady)
The Isaacs
Kenna West
BREAKTHROUGH ARTIST: 

Mark209
Red Roots
The Old Paths
The Taylors
Wilburn & Wilburn
MALE VOCALIST: 

Chris Allman (Greater Vision)
Doug Anderson (Ernie Haase & Signature Sound)
Jim Brady (Booth Brothers)
Jason Crabb
Joseph Habedank (The Perrys)

FEMALE VOCALIST: 

Becky Isaacs Bowman (The Isaacs)
Karen Peck Gooch (Karen Peck & New River)
Kim Lord (Sisters)
Libbi Stuffle (The Perrys)
Amber Thompson (The Nelons)
Sonya Isaacs Yeary (The Isaacs)
MALE GROUP:
Beyond the Ashes
Booth Brothers
Gaither Vocal Band
Gold City
Greater Vision
Triumphant Quartet
FEMALE GROUP: 

Perry Sisters
Red Roots
Sisters
Sweetwater Revival
MIXED GROUP: 

Bowling Family
Collingsworth Family
The Isaacs
Karen Peck & New River
The Perrys
SONGWRITER (ARTIST):
Jim Brady (Booth Brothers)
Phil Cross
Rodney Griffin (Greater Vision)
Joseph Habedank (The Perrys)
Becky & Sonya Isaacs (The Isaacs)
SONGWRITER (PROFESSIONAL):
Marty Funderburk
Twila LaBar
Joel Lindsey
Rebecca J. Peck
Sue C. Smith
Kenna West
Dianne Wilkinson
PRODUCER (ARTIST): 

Jim Brady (Booth Brothers)
Michael English (Gaither Vocal Band)
Darrell Freeman (The Freemans)
Wayne Haun (Ernie Haase & Signature Sound)
Ben Isaacs (The Isaacs)
Roger Talley (The Talleys)
PRODUCER (PROFESSIONAL): 

Donna Beauvais
Nick Bruno
Jeff Collins
Lari Goss
Michael Sykes
ENGINEER: 

Scott Godsey
Wesley Pritchard
Terry Thompson
Kevin Ward
Woody Wright
MUSICIAN:
Kim Collingsworth (Collingsworth Family)
Madison Easter (Jeff & Sheri Easter)
Ben Isaacs (The Isaacs)
Gordon Mote
Jeff Stice (Triumphant Quartet)
Jason Webb
TRADITIONAL SOUTHERN SONG: 

“Bring On the Joy” – Tribute Quartet (A.Downing, D.Williams)
“Celebrate Me Home” – The Perrys (W.Haun, J.Lindsey)
“God So Loves Me” – Greater Vision (R.Griffin)
“He’s Everything I Need” – The Kingsmen (J.Habedank)
“Love Came Calling” – Triumphant Quartet (W.Haun, J.Lindsey)

TRADITIONAL SOUTHERN ALBUM:
Blue Skies – The Perrys (W.Haun)
Part of the Family – Collingsworth Family (W.Haun)
Sailing Smooth – Southern Sound (B.Harris)
Somebody’s Coming – Gold City (M.English, D.Riley)
The Waiting Is Over – Tribute Quartet (R.Talley)
PROGRESSIVE SOUTHERN SONG: 

“Jesus Saves” – LeFevre Quartet (T.Cottrell, D.Moffitt)
“May I Never Get Over the Cross” – Eighth Day (M.L.Allen, R.Arthur)
“Never Walk Alone” – Brian Free & Assurance (J.Johnson, J.Williams)
“On the Banks of the Promised Land” – Karen Peck & New River (J.Dyba, D.Moffitt, S.C.Smith)
“Unredeemed” – The Martins (C.Cates, B.Petak, T.Wood)
PROGRESSIVE SOUTHERN ALBUM: 

Dreamin’ Wide Awake – Doug Anderson (E.Haase, W.Haun)
Family Ties – Wilburn & Wilburn (B.Isaacs)
Feels Like Sunday – Bowling Family (M.Bowling, T.Thompson)
Let It Be Known – Booth Brothers (L.Goss)
New Day – The Martins (J.DeMarcus)
Reach Out – Karen Peck & New River (W.Haun)
Treasures Unseen – Beyond the Ashes (W.Haun)

COUNTRY SONG:
“Greatly Blessed, Highly Favored” – Gaither Vocal Band (B.Gaither, L.Gatlin)
“Hear My Heart” – Jeff & Sheri Easter (S.Easter, W.Haun, J.Lindsey)
“I Recall” – Dove Brothers (M.Dove)
“Mama’s Teaching Angels How to Sing” – The Isaacs (D.Rambo)
“Up On This Ridge” – Channing Eleton (E.C.Eleton)

COUNTRY ALBUM: 

Grace – Palmetto State Quartet (L.Butler, M.Carman)
Live – Dove Brothers (M.Dove)
Songs I Grew Up Singing – Gordon Mote (P.Johnson, G.Mote)
Summer Rains Have Gone – Channing Eleton (C.Eleton, B.Mullins)
The Song Lives On – Jason Crabb (B.Gaither)
Why Can’t We – The Isaacs (B.Isaacs)
SPECIAL EVENT PROJECT: 

A Living Legacy: The Songs of Squire Parsons – Various Artists (J.Brady)
Christmas Must Be Tonight – Three Bridges (R.Sandidge)
Georgia Mountain Christmas – Karen Peck & New River (K.P.Gooch, J.D.Rowsey)
Journey – Libbi Perry Stuffle (W.Haun)
The Demos – Jim Brady (J.Brady)
BEST LIVE PERFORMER:
Booth Brothers
Collingsworth Family
Jason Crabb
Gaither Vocal Band
The Isaacs
FAN FAVORITE ARTIST OF THE YEAR:
Beyond the Ashes
Booth Brothers
The Freemans
Gaither Vocal Band 

Karen Peck & New River
Sharron Kay King
The Ladd Family
Mark209
The Perrys
Triumphant Quartet
About AbsolutelyGospel.com
AbsolutelyGospel.com (formerly SoGospelNews.com) has grown from relative obscurity to the industry’s leading internet publication for Southern Gospel news and information in only a few short years. The site includes a wide variety of features, consisting of artist interviews, a weekly chart, late-breaking news, and much more.